Seminar class holds all-day conference
March 25, 2010 1:05 PM
On Saturday, March 20, a senior seminar cross-listed between sociology and women’s studies hosted its first academic conference on issues of social difference.
Entitled “Social Difference,” the class organized the event as part of their final class project. Each student prepared and defended a conference paper to an intimate audience of peers, faculty, and other students.
Throughout the academic term, the seminar studied the way in which citizenship and nationalism are utilized to include and exclude people from their rights, including the ability to belong to greater society.
Conference registration for guests of the class was free and included a light breakfast and lunch. The event was sponsored by the women’s studies and sociology departments and the Offices of the Academic Vice President and Dean of Arts, respectively.
The conference featured panels on three issues of social difference and each student touched on one of the themes. Finally, the panelists fielded questions from the audience and facilitated a discussion of the panels’ themes.
The first panel focused on gender, citizenship and belonging. Christina Aubrecht, Ben Jantzen, Nancy Mitton, and Lisbeth Nielsen presented on a range of topics in this area, including motherhood and the legalization of sex work in the Netherlands.
The second panel questioned the on-going legacies of colonialism in Canada. Megan Fitzgerald, Connie McInnes, and James Roddick submitted research on the history of residential schools.
Finally, the third panel delved into nationalism, multiculturalism and tolerance. Jennifer Bureau, Jessica Scott, and Ellen Taylor discussed questions of Canadian national identity.
